
I lost my Dad tonight. He was born in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania on April 5, 1923 on Canal Street near the old Heinz plant. He died on January 6, 2008. He was married to my Mom, Helen Buchinsky Furman for 56 years. My Mom passed away in 2002. They met before WW2 and wrote to each other during the War. My Father enlisted with his friends into the Marine Corp. They wanted him in demolition since most men of ethnic background coming from Pennsylvania were coal miners. His specialty however, was Photography, and he served as a combat photographer with the 2nd Marine Division in the South Pacific Theater. He was in the Gilbert Islands, New Zealand, and in the Battle of Tarawa. My Father was back home for shore leave preceding what would have been the invasion of Japan, when VJ day was announced.
My parents were married in November of 1945. My Mother gave birth to my Sister Diane in 1949. We lost my sister in 1981. She was a Registered Nurse in a Pain Clinic in Pittsburgh at the time. It’s very difficult to write with any more clarity at this time. All I can say is that I will miss him. There is an empty spot in my soul. He was my hero.